British intelligence agency MI5 is under scrutiny for allegedly unlawfully spying on Irish journalist Vincent Kearney for eight years, according to a recent tribunal hearing in London. Kearney's lawyers presented evidence to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) that MI5 monitored his calls, contacts, and movements while he was reporting from Northern Ireland, raising concerns about privacy violations and the lengths intelligence agencies will go to under the guise of national security.

The tribunal was informed that Kearney was not only monitored by MI5 but also under the watch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and London’s Metropolitan Police from 2006 to 2014. This extensive surveillance involved unlawfully obtaining Kearney’s phone records, as well as using geographic data collected from over 1,500 text messages to create a comprehensive intelligence profile about him, which included sensitive information about his personal relationships and family addresses.

While MI5 acknowledged accessing Kearney’s phone records last year, they defended their actions by suggesting that they were limited in scope and did not breach legal boundaries. However, Kearney's case highlights critical issues surrounding journalistic freedom, privacy rights, and the accountability of intelligence agencies, especially in a democratic society where such surveillance could have a chilling effect on freedom of the press and the public's right to know.